Then
THE EARLY YEARS
The Free Design – Chris, Bruce, Sandy and Ellen Dedrick, were brothers and sisters from Delevan, N.Y., a small town near Buffalo. They grew up surrounded by music. Their father, Art..READ MORE
THE GENESIS OF THE FREE DESIGN
At the end of 1966, Sandy, Bruce and Chris had moved from upstate New York down to New York City. Sandy´s apartment in Queen’s became a handy gathering place. There..READ MORE
THE FREE DESIGN SIGNED WITH RECORD LABEL
Within a few months they signed with Project 3, Enoch Light’s label, and soon had a collection of songs ready to record for their first album, titled Kites are Fun..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – KITES ARE FUN
Released 1967 The band’s 1967 debut Kites Are Fun placed them squarely in the realm of sunshine pop acts like The Association and Curt Boettcher and Gary Usher’s Sagittarius, but..READ MORE
THE FREE DESIGN PROGRESSION
After their first album their repertoire and reputation grew by leaps and bounds. Chris’ original flair for vocal arranging and orchestration and the God-given voices of all of them gave..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – YOU COULD BE BORN AGAIN
Released 1968 The Free Design released You Could Be Born Again, adding youngest sister Ellen to the lineup. Having another voice allowed Chris to write more complex vocal arrangements, but..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – HEAVEN/ EARTH
Released 1969 Heaven/Earth, for the most part, continues the soft, psychedelic pop of the first two records. “You Be You and I’ll Be Me” spices up a typically elaborate vocal..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – SING FOR VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE
Released 1970 Sing For Very Important People is something of a children’s album, replete with songs about cowboys, Sesame Street, familiar Free Design pastimes of kites, bubbles and even a..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – STARS/TIME/BUBBLES/LOVE
Released 1970 Sing For Very Important People is something of a children’s album, replete with songs about cowboys, Sesame Street, familiar Free Design pastimes of kites, bubbles and even a..READ MORE
THE FREE DESIGN FEATURED ON TV
Despite the almost unbelievable lack of chart success they had keen followers and made numerous appearances on TV Shows like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Mike Douglas Show,..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – ONE BY ONE
Released 1971 One By One is more muted and more emotional. The songs seem a bit more personal (“One By One”, “Friendly Man”), and the harmony arrangements are less ornate,..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – THERE IS A SONG
Released 1972 There is a Song (Ambrotype) was the last Free Design record the group made until 2001’s Cosmic Peekaboo. It was recorded during a time of change for the..READ MORE
THE END OF AN ERA
The Free Design stopped recording together in 1974. The sound of Free Design can be described as modern, rich orchestration with a choral approach to pop, simultaneously nostalgic and bracingly..READ MORE
REISSUING THE ALBUMS
In 1995 Joe Zynczak, who co-wrote “Love You” with Sandy, purchased the rights to the master recordings of The Free Design and began to seek out a record label to..READ MORE
RENEWED INTEREST IN THE FREE DESIGN
In 2000, Marina Records, a German record label put out Caroline Now, a tribute to the music of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys which included a version of “Endless..READ MORE
ALBUM RELEASE – COSMIC PEEKABOO
Release 2001 Along with Chris’ songs, this recording includes some fine original songwriting by Bruce, as well as the lovely voice and expert production assistance of Rebecca Pellet.
THE MUSIC TODAY
The Free Design’s music has become more and more popular as time goes on. The song “Love You” is featured during the credits of the film Stranger Than Fiction..READ MORE